Retainer for sewing-machines



C. McNEIL.

RETAINER FOR SEWING MACHINES. APr'ucAT'xoN FILED IAN.30. 19x7.

Patented 51m, 11, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

c. McNEIL.

RETAINER FOR SEWING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1917.

Patented Jan. 11,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

(lttousu S 'UWTED STAT-ES PATENT OFFICE."

CHESTER IVICNEIL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNDR- T0 "UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS RETAINER FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented an, 11 1921,

Application filed January 30, 1917. Serial No. 145,477.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CHESTER MONEIL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Retainers for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a des'crip-' tion, reference being had to the accompany- I these stationary retainers on the under surface'of the throat plate or when a plurality. of retainers are used to mount them on a common support.

An object of the present invention to provide an improved meansfor supporting such a stationary retainerso that it may be adjusted vertically by adjusting the support which carries the retainer.

A further objectof the invention is to provide an adjusting means for a stationary.

retainer of the above character wherein the adjusting means'also serves to hold the. retainer in an adjusted position. v y

A still further object of the invention to provide a sewing machine'having a plurality of needles-and cooperative loopers with a re tainerfor each looper, togetherwith a sup-,

porting means for theretainers whereby they may be separately adjusted and also adjusted laterally relative to each other when the gage of the machine is" varied.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part behereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the inven-.

Figure 1 is front view of a portion of a,

sewingmachine having my improvements applied thereto;

Fig. '2 is a view, partly in end elevation and partly in verticalsection, substantially I sewing machine having a work support 1 on the line of feed;

"cooperate with the looper.

Fig. 3 is a plan ,view of a portion of the I the points o fthe needles are about to enter the thread triangles for'the same.

Prior to my inventiomit has been a oommon practice to construct sewing machines having a stitching mechanisnrwherein the stationary thread retainer cooperates with one oithe stitch forming elements. These thread retainers have to be adjusted with a good deal of accuracy in order that they may properly hold the thread to insure stitch formation. The. present invention is directed particularly to the means'for supporting the thread retainer so that it may be readily adjusted and set so as to properly cooperate with the looper in the holding of these needle thread loops.

The thread retainer is disposed in a line I substantially parallel to the line of feed and is mounted on a pivotal support, the pivotal axis 7 of which is substantially horizontal. Means is provided for swinging the support about its pivotal axis and for holding the same in an adjusted position. Thus the retainer may be quickly shifted in a vertical plane by mechanical means whlch not only Inent, but also efliciently'holds the retainer in as adjusted position. also capable of being shifted laterally on its pivotal support and thus provides for a late afiords a very minute and accurate adjust- This support is eral adjustment of theretainer which is par- 'ticula'rly useful where a plurality of pairs of needles are used and a 'plurality of retainers. If it'is desired to change the gageof the machine, the retainer may be quickly shifted laterally so as to be properly positioned to Referring more in detail to the drawings j v I have shown my invention asapplied to a and an overhanging arm 2. A needle bar 3 reciprocates in the overhanging arm and carries two pairs of needles l-4e and 5-5. Cooperating with the needles 4.t beneath the work support isa looper 6, while a looper 7 cooperates with the pair of needles 5-5. The loopers 6 and 7 are mounted on a looper carrier 8 which is pivotally supported on a looper rocker 9. The looper rocker is oscillated for giving to the loopers their needle avoiding movement, by suitable means while the looper carrier is swung on its pivotal support by a link 10, which is of the usual character.

The material is fed across the work support by a feed dog 11 carried by a feed bar 12, which is moved back and forth by suitable means and which is raised and lowered by an eccentric 13 on the main shaft 14.

The material is held on the work support by a presser foot 15 which is carried by the presser bar 16.

The looper 6 is formed with a notch 6. while the looper 7 is formed with a notch 7 Cooperating with the looper 6 is a thread retainer 17, and cooperating with the looper 7 is a thread retainer 18. Thethread retainer 17 is mounted on a retainer support 19. while the thread retainer 18 is mounted on a retainer support 20. The retainers are connected to the retainer supports, and each retainer support has an opening 21 into which the shank of the retainer extends, and

a clamping screw 22 clamps the retainer in said retainer support. The retainer supports are grooved to receive the shanks of the retainers so to prevent lateral displacement thereof.

The retainer supports are mounted on a pivot rod 23 which is carried by a bracket 2 clamped to the under side of the work support 1 by clamping screws 35 and 36. Each retainer support is freely mounted on: the rod and is capable ofbeing swung about the pivot rod 23 and also moved laterally on said rod. A. set-screw 24 operates to clamp the retainer to the pivot rod 23. The retainer support extends to the rear of the pivot rod 23, and an adjusting screw 25 is threaded through this rear end of the retainer support. The bracket 24 carries a plate 26 which is formed with a slot 27. The adjusting screw extends through this slot and the head 28 of the adjusting screw rests against the upper face of the plate,

while a collar 29 on the adjusting screw engages the lower face of said plate. This construction prevents the adjusting screw from moving endwise relative'to the plate, and its threaded connection with the retainer support serves'to hold the retainer support in an adjusted position. When this screw 25 is turned the retainer support will be shifted about its pivotal-axis, and this raises and lowers the retainer in a vertical pcndently adjustable so as to shift the retainer in a verticalplane, and also. each retamer support is laterally adjustable so that theretainer may be shifted in a horizontal plane. If the distance between the pairs of needles is varied, when, forexample, changing the gage of. the machine, the retainer support may be shifted'as required to accommodate the new setting of the needles. Then, again, the retainer may be shifted endwise on the retainer support to bring the end thereof nearer to or farther from the path of the needles. r

The operation of the retainer will be clear from Fig. 6 of the drawings, wherein I have shown diagrammatically the position ofthe loopers, the needles, and the retainers when the retainers are operating to holdthe two needle loops so as to insure that the needles entering their. respective thread triangles will pass into the triangle in advance of both needle thread loops. After the needles are well in the thread triangles,.then the needle loops are released so as to produce the proper shedding of the needle thread loops from the looper and the drawing up of the threads. It will beapparentv that the end of each retainer mustbe set with, great accuracy, and the, aboveadjustnient permits this to be accomplished. The supportfor the retainers and the, adjusting screws are covered by a 'cover platel which maybe.

readily withdrawn to give accessto the ad justing screws, and when this cover plate is withdrawn. the operator may quickly, turn either of the screws for adjusting one retainer or the other as described.

It is obvious that .minor changes. in the details. of. construction maybe made without departing from the spirit of this invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus'described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. The combination with awork support,

a needle, a looper cooperating with the a one of the stitching threads for positively holding the same to insure stitch formation,

needle. of a stationary thread retainer for struc'ted so as to hold the retainer in its adjusted position.

2. The combination with a work support, a needle, a looper cooperating with the needle beneath the work support, of a stationary retainer for engaging the needle thread loop on the looper for holding the same at one side of the path of the needle, a support for said retainer, a pivot rod on which the retainer support is mounted so that it may be adjusted about the rod in a vertical plane, and means for holding the retainer support in an adjusted position.

3. The combination of a work support, a needle, a looper movable in a direction at right angles to the line of feed and cooperating with said needle, said looper having a lateral movement relative to the needle, a stationary retainer for engaging the needle thread loop on the looper for holding the same at one side of the path of the needle, a retainer support, a pivot rod on which said retainer support is mounted so that it may be adjusted about the rod in a vertical plane, and means for shifting the retainer support about its pivot rod and for holding said retainer support in an adjusted position.

4:. The combination of a work support, a needle, a looper movable in a direction at right angles to the line of feed and cooperating with said needle, said looper having a lateral movement relative to the needle, a stationary retainer for engaging the needle thread loop on the looper for holding the same at one side of the path of the needle, a retainer support for said retainer, a horizontally disposed rod located at right angles to the line of feed on which said retainer support is pivotally mounted, means for securing the retainer to said rod whereby it may be adjusted laterally, and means for clamping said retainer support to said rod.

5. The combination of a work support, a needle, a looper movable in a direction at right angles to the line of feed and cooperating with said needle, said looper having a lateral movement relative to the needle, a stationary retainer for engaging the needle thread loop on the looper for holding the same at one side of the path of the needle, a retainer support for said retainer, a horizontally disposed rod located at right angles to the line of feed on which said retainer support is pivotally mounted, means for securing the retainer to said rod whereby it may be adjusted laterally, means for clamping said retainer support to said rod,

and means for adjusting said retainer sup port angularly about said rod for holding the same in an adjusted position.

6. The combination of a work support, a needle, a looper movable in a direction at right angles to the line of feed and cooperating with said needle, said looper having a lateral movement relative to the needle, a

stationary retainer for engaging the needle thread loop on the looper for holding the same at one side of the path of the needle, a retainer support, means for adj ustably holding said retainer on said support whereby said retainer may be moved endwise relative to the support, a pivot rod having a horizontal axis disposed at right angles to the line of feed on which said retainer support is mounted, and means for clamping said retainer support to said rod whereby it may be moved endwise of the rod.

7. The combination of a work support, a needle, a looper movable in a direction at right angles to the line of feed and cooperating with said needle, said looper having a lateral movement relative to the needle, a stationary retainer for engaging the needle thread loop on the looper for holding the same at one side of the path of the needle, a retainer support, means for adjustably holding said retainer on said support whereby said retainer may be moved endwise relative to the support, a pivot rod having a horizontal axis disposed at right angles to the line of feed on which said retainer support is mounted, means for clamping said retainer support to said rod whereby it may be moved endwise of the rod, and means for angularly adjusting said retainer support about said rod and holding said retainer support in an adjusted position.

8. The combination of a work support, stitching mechanism including a needle, and a looper cooperating with the needle beneath the work support, said work support having a recess in front of the needle. a cover plate for closing said recess, a stationary thread retainer cooperating with the looper for holding the needle thread loop back on the looper to insure the entering of the needle into the thread triangle,

a support for said stationary thread retainer, and adjusting screws for adjusting said support in a vertical plane for varying the position of the thread retainer, said adjusting screws being located directly underneath said removable plate whereby they may be readily accessible for adjusting the retainer.

9. The combination with a work support, a needle, a looper cooperating with the needle beneath the work support, a thread retainer cooperating with the looper for holding the needle thread loop back on the looper, a stationary support for the retainer, said retainer support being grooved to receive the shank of the retainer to prevent lateral displacement thereof, means for clamping the retainer on the support, and means for shifting the support for raising and lowering the retainer.

10. The combination with a work support, a needle, a looper cooperating with the needle beneath the work support, a thread retainer cooperating with the looper for whereby the same may be moved so as to holding the needle loop back on the looper, raise and lower the retainer.

a support for the retainer, means for ad- In testimony whereofiI aflix my signature, 10 justably connecting said retainer to said in the presence of a Witness.

support whereby it may be shifted endwise CHESTER MoNEIL.

on said support, means for adjustably sup- Vitness:

porting and shifting said retainer support J. H. MASLAND. 

